German 'Bishop Of Bling' Spent A Reported $42 Million On His Official Residence

WikipediaThe Bishop of Limburg Franz-Peter Tebartz-van ElstThe Bishop of Limburg in Germany has become the "Bishop of Bling" after touching up his official residence with things like a $20,000 bathtub and marble floors, according to ABC News.

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst has reportedly spent some $42 million on the overall renovation, which was initially expected to cost $7.5 million.

The Bishop had said he needed millions in church funds because the work involved updating 10 buildings that had to be renovated according to historical preservation laws. Now the Bishop is being accused of falsifying expense reports, and today met with Pope Francis, who often preaches the value of a "poor" church.

German prosecutors have also indicted Tebartz-van Elst for perjury, regarding a case where he allegedly lied about traveling first-class to India last year for church meetings, according to ABC.

The bishop's actions are particularly damaging the reputation of the Church in the wake of its sexual abuse scandal, according to Christian Weisner, a member of the lay organization We Are the Church.

"This is really a very, very sad story," Weisner told ABC News. "The whole Catholic Church has lost its credibility."